On December 4th, 2020 in Hanoi, the Banking Academy and the Banking Review Magazine of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) co-organized a National Seminar themed "Promoting cashless payments in the digital economy". SBV Deputy Governor Nguyen Kim Anh attended and chaired the Seminar.
The Seminar was also attended by experts from the Government Office, the relevant Departments, agencies and units of the SBV, representatives of the other ministries and government agencies, Vietnam Banks' Association (VNBA), representatives from many commercial banks, credit institutions, Fintech companies, securities companies, domestic experts, scientists and researchers from research institutes, universities in the finance-banking sector. The participants at the Seminar discussed and evaluated the development opportunities, proposed possible solutions to promote non-cash payments in order to contribute to the implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy until 2025, Vision to 2030. In addition, the Seminar was also an academic forum for managers, experts, scientists, lecturers, researchers and practitioners to exchange and share their knowledge and experience.
Cashless payments to improve financial accessibility and promote financial inclusion
Speaking at the Seminar, SBV Deputy Governor Nguyen Kim Anh said that “Cashless payments play a particularly important role, bringing many practical benefits to participants and the whole economy, making a significant contribution to improving the financial accessibility and promoting financial inclusion.” Cashless payments also help reduce the social costs related to cash, contributing to improving the tax administration, preventing crimes, corruption and other issues related to frauds. Thereby, people and businesses have more convenient and practical transaction channels; the capital resources in the society are circulated safely, effectively, saving costs and time, etc.
With the active, synchronous and drastic implementation of multiple solutions in the recent years, cashless payments have achieved many positive and outstanding outcomes. Specifically, the legal corridor for cashless payments has been improved; technical infrastructure and technology for cashless payments (especially electronic payments) have been expanded, invested and upgraded. Most of the achievements of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 have been applied to payments. Cashless payment products and services (especially electronic payments) have been strongly developed and diversified. The number and value of transactions made through non-cash payment means have greatly increased (especially payments via smartphones and the Internet). Digital payment ecosystems have been established, allowing connection and integration among commodity and service suppliers.
Participants attending theSeminar
Many other figures have also proven that cashless payments are rising sharply. Specifically, in 9 months of 2020, the number and value of non-cash payment transactions increased by 75.2% and 30.4% respectively over the same period of 2019; especially the number and value of transactions via smartphones increased sharply by nearly 125% and 130% respectively over the same period in 2019.
According to the SBV Deputy Governor, the objective of developing non-cash payments is also an important tasks established by the Prime Minister in a number of schemes on banking sector development in the coming time, such as: (i) The National Financial Inclusion Strategy until 2025, Vision to 2030 has set a target that by the end of 2025, the number of non-cash payment transactions will reach a growth rate of 20-25% per annum; (ii) The Development Strategy of Vietnam Banking Sector until 2025, with Orientations to 2030 has set a target to promote non-cash payment development, and optimize the ATM and POS networks.
SBV Deputy Governor Nguyen Kim Anh emphasized that 2020 has been a very important year. Because this is the final year of the period and the time to review and evaluate the implementation and performance of the Scheme on Non-Cash Payment Development in Vietnam during the 2016-2020 period (issued by Decision No. 2545/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister). On that basis, the banking sector will draw out lessons in order to study and develop a new Scheme to develop non-cash payments for the next 5 years (2021-2025) with new development conditions and contexts.
Digital payment ecosystems become more effective during COVID-19
In particular, the introduction and development of non-cash payments are an inevitable trend of our time to meet the new requirements of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Cashless payments are also an important solution to support and ensure the continuity and smoothness of transaction activities, promoting transactions among business entities in the context of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Seminar, the experts also presented a comprehensive picture of the current policies in promoting non-cash payments in Vietnam in the recent years.
“The digital payment ecosystems have optimized the efficiency in changing consumption habits and behaviors of a large part of the population in society. Cashless payment activities in the government sector, public administrative services have experienced many positive changes” - Mr. Pham Tien Dzung, Director General of the SBV Payment Department, emphasized.
According to statistics of the SBV, more than 30 hospitals have introduced systems for electronic hospital fee payment; 50 commercial banks have completed the connection with tax and customs agencies in all 63 provinces and cities for electronic tax and customs fee collection; 95% of customs revenues has been collected via banks; 99% of enterprises have registered to pay taxes electronically; 27 commercial banks and 10 intermediary payment service providers have coordinated to collect electricity bills (nearly 90% of electricity bills of Vietnam Electricity is now paid via banks).
According to a survey done by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 27 countries, Vietnam was recorded as the fastest growing market for mobile payments in 2018. Until now, the whole market has 77 organizations providing Internet-based payment services and 45 organizations providing mobile phone payment services. These organizations have studied and applied many new, modern technologies in payment activities, such as the application of fingerprint authentication, facial recognition, biometrics, QR Code, Tokenization, contactless payment, mPOS technology, etc. There are currently about 30 banks providing QR Code payment services, and the whole market has more than 90,000 sites accepting QR Code payment (a new and modern form of payment at accepting entities, similar to payment via POS).
Mr. Pham Tien Dzung, Director General of the SBV Payment Department, presents at the Seminar
Despite the positive results, the Director General of the SBV Payment Department also pointed out a number of difficulties for non-cash payments in Vietnam, i.e.: Legal corridors; people's habit of using cash, their reluctance to approach new payment technologies. Besides, the payment infrastructure is not yet developed in the rural, remote and outback areas; the payment accepting units do not yet have sufficient knowledge as well as the practical benefits of accepting non-cash payments compared to cash, thus many have not actively joined in.
On the other hand, high-tech crimes in e-payments have become more complicated recently with new and more sophisticated behaviors and tricks. Therefore, measures to ensure security and safety for high-tech payment services need to be paid further attention to and strengthened.
Providing additional information at the Seminar, Mr. Pham Tien Dzung mentioned that a new Circular on eKYC had just been signed by SBV Deputy Governor Nguyen Kim Anh that morning. This is the first platform for the development of digital payments and digital banking. Regarding the promotion of digital payment development in the coming time, the SBV will accelerate the formulation of and improve the legal framework. "We are studying and considering whether to introduce a Law on Payments. Currently 84 countries have enacted Payment Laws, such as Laos and Cambodia near Vietnam. The reason is that there are many subjects participating in the payment areas (fintech companies, Big Tech firms, etc.), not just credit institutions. In addition, there have emerged new forms of payments such as QR Code...", said Mr. Pham Tien Dzung, Director General of the SBV Payment Department.
At the Seminar, representatitves of several commercial banks also shared their experience in digital banking in general and in applying the achievements of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 to payment services in particular, such as: provision of non-cash payment services in the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0; issues of safety and information security in payments; as well as the orientations and solutions to develop non-cash payments in the coming time, and lessons learned from implementing non-cash payments in the public services.
The dicussions and comments at the Seminar would assist the SBV in the management and development of necessary mechanisms and policies; supporting training institutions inside and outside the banking sector in their training and research activities; and also assisting credit institutions to come up with good solutions to cope with the challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities to promote non-cash payments in the digital economy in Vietnam.
VA